Door closer



July 31, 1928.

W. F. MOORE DOOR CLOSER Filed Jun! 17, 1927 \\\\\\\\& v

' IN VEN TOR.

I A TTORNEYZ.

Patented July 31, 1928.

UNITED STATES* E' WALLACE F. MOORE, OF MERIDEN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE AMERICAN HARDWARE CORPORATION, OF NERV BRITAIN, CONNECTICUT, CORPORATION OF CONNECTICUT,

Application filed June 17,

My invention relates to improvements in door closers and has for its object to provide a new and improved hold-back door closer which is easy to manufacture and assemble, positive in its action, and more durable than those heretofore used.' It also has for its object to provide a hold-back door closer having a detent comprising a ball which cooperates with ,a stop to hold the door 1n retracted position and is freelya'otatable in c anydirection when in non-holding pos tion,

member having a stop engaging roller mounted upon a pin. lVhere the engaging face did not rotate, objectionable friction j was present and the same portion of the member repeatedly engaged the stop.

Where a roller was used, the same portion of the roller repeatedly engaged the stop be' cause there is no rotation after the stop is disengaged and the one rotationis about a fixed axis. The roller is subject to wear at a given point, resulting in a ClGPIGSSlOIl causing a harder blow upon the stop, and, turthermore, the pinupon which the roller is mounted wears away and finally breaks so as to permit the roller to be displaced. The

use of a ball has been suggested but such ball is used which, when out of engagement with the stop, is supported by the stop carrying member and rolled alongthereon so that, practically speaking, a new portion of DOOR CLOSER. I

1927. Serial No. 199,514.

the ball is presented to the stop upon every 7 operation of the checlnyand the ball shows no appreciable signs of wear during the life of the check. Moreover, the recess forming the housing for the ball is not contracted at its lower end and thus is easier to form.

The following is a description of an embodiment of my invention, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a plan view of a door closer embodying myinvention'; Fig; 2 shows a portion of the same partly inside elevation and partly in section on the line 22, Fig. 1 with the lever shifted to'hold back position; and

Fig. Fig. 1. 7

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 2-,is a doorhinged at 4 and 6 is a door casing, one portion of the closer being mounted upon the door and the other portion being connected to the casing in the ordinary manner. 8 is a member of the closer secured tothe' door, the same comprisinga cover 10 having thereon an adjustable ring 12'carrying a stop 14' having a pocket 16. 18 is the ordinary spring driven shaft ofthe closer, on which is mounted a lever 29 connected tothe link22. The lever carries a double ended detent 24, one end of which engages teeth upon a ratchet member 26 connected to'the door closing, spring, the features thus far described being of ordinary construction heretofore used.

The lever arm 20 is provided with a round vertical recess 28 havingwithin it a shoulder or abutment 30 and containing a compression spring 32, which is held in place by a screw plug 34 having a screw-driver slot and by which the compression of the spring can be adjusted. Below the spring is a plunger 36 having a flange 38 which engages the shoulder 30, and below the abutment is a hardened steel ball 40, whose diameter is slightly less than the diameter of the mouth of the recess which is opposed to the member 8. This ball 40 is thus tree to. pass in and out of the mouth of the recess except as its movement is limited by the member 8, and is held within that recess the pocket, when the flange 38 is in engage-V ment with the shoulder 80, 1s preferably equal to the diameter of the balhalthough it may be slightly less or greater than that diameter. The mouth of the recess 28 constitutes a housing for the ball and is opposed to the member hen the ball is not in the pocket .16, the shoulder 30 prevents the spring and alsothe plunger 36 from acting upon the ball so that at that time the ball is .free to revolve without substantial friction in any direction. The presence of the plunger 36 prevents the ball from directly engaging the spring at any time so that the ball does not tend to spread the convolutions of the spring and cause it to bind within the recess 28.

In manufacturmgthe device, the lever 20,

together with the spring 32, plunger 36, and adjusting plug 34, are assembled, and as the lever is put upon the shaft 18 the ball is inserted in place.

The pawl 2% preferably has a ringshaped portion surrounding the lower, end of the. wall of the recess 28, which 1s upset so to holdit in position, t-l'ie centric therew th. V I

When the closer is in flClJlOIl, the hardened ball 40. being con steel ball moves around with the lever 20,

and when resting upon the flat surface of the member 8 is supported thereby out of contact with the plunger, rolling freely thereon in any direction. When the, lever 20is moved so thatthe ball engages the stop it is in passing the stop lifted up into its.

housing until it engages the plunger 36, compre ss' 1 1 1gthe spring 28 until it reaches the pocket 16, whereupon it 1s forced down- 'ward by the spring and plunger into said pocket, engaging the same and holding the lever 20 in retracted position, being'then substantially halt within its housing and half outside its housing, as shown in Fig. 2. hen the ball 40' rests upon the member 8 it is sufiiciently within its housing so that when it engages the inclined surface on the stop '14 it 1s moved easily into the housing until it engages the plunger '36, after which it actsto compress the spring 32.

The ball l0 and the closed end of the recess constitute abutments for the spring 32 a when the ball is passing the stop I l.

I One of said abutments is spaced away from said spring when the ball is not in engagement with said stop so that the spring does not erm o1 then exert upon the ball pressure due to the expanding action of the spring.

The recess 28 is a round, vertical recess and can therefore be made by a simple drilling operation at rightangles to the axis of the lever 20. 42 is the door closing spring acting on lever 20 in usual manncr.

' The stop 14 being carried by the adjustable ring 12 can be moved angularly and fixed in'any desired position. "The door can be opened beyond the holding position of the lever if desired.

As will be evident to those skilled in'the art, my invention permits of various modifications without departing from thespirit thereof or the scope of the appended claims.

lVhat I claim is: v I

1. In a door closer having a member carryr ing a stop fixed thereto and a spring actuated door closing lever carried by said member and movable relatively to said stop, the improvement which consists in a recess in said lever havinga mouth opposed to said member, a ball with-in saidmouth of smaller diameter than said mouth so as to be free to pass therethrough, said ball being at all timesin rolling contact with said member and held within said recess by said member, and a compression spring within said recess compressed by said ball .when

passing said stop so that pressure due to the expanding action of said spring is then exerted upon saidba-ll, but uncompressed by said ball when out of engagement with saidstop so that said ball is then free from such pressure, the ball and theend of the recess constituting abutments for said spring when 7 the ball is passing said stop, one of said abutments being spaced away from said spring when the ball is not in engagement withsaid stop.

2. In a door closer having a member carryinga stop fixed thereto and a spring ac- 'tuated door. closing lever carried by said member and movable relatively tesaid stop, the improvement which consists in arecess in said lever having a mouth "opposed to said member, a ball within said mouth of smaller diameter than said mouth so as to be free to pass therethrough, said ball being at all times held within said recess by said member, a compression spring within said recess compressed by said ball when passing said stop, and a shoulder withinsaid recess restraining said compression spring from acting on said ball when said ball is out of engagementwith said stop.

3.1n a door closer having a member carrying a stop fixed thereto and a spring actuated door closing lever carried by said member and movable relatively to said stop, the improvement which consists in .a recess in said lever having a mouth opposed to said member, a ball within said mouth of smaller diameter than said mouth so as to be free to pass therethrough, said ball being at all ball when said ball is out of engagement times held Within said recess by said men1- With said stop.

her, a compression spring Within said recess In testimony whereof, I have signed my 10 compressed by said ball when passing said name to this specification this 13th day of stop, a plunger between said spring and ball, June, 1927.

and a shoulder Within said recess restraining said spring and plunger from acting on said WALLACE F, MOORE. 

